As I research the subject of Personal Networks further. I am finding many more resources on the subject – and my Amazon account is taking some hammering! It’s interesting that it’s often the older books & research (from 1970s through to early 2000s) that seem to be hitting the mark for me. I think some of this is because in recent times the focus of most writing has been on the rapid growth of Social Networking. I believe that your personal network should be reviewed in the round – and the focus just on social networking can be damaging to contacts not actively on-line (and those hard to find people you would like to meet).

One quote I came across today was a header on a page of Keith Ferrazzi’s website.

I passionately believe that this is right – and very few people value their Personal Network enough. Tim’s book seems to be out of print in the UK now – but Amazon have come up with a second-hand version that is being shipped to me.

Anxious to find more about Tim Sanders, I headed off to his website. He has a great post on the subject. It’s quoted below (with Tim’s permission) – and has an excellent networking tip at the end.

“Your network is your net worth. So why don’t you invest time in it?

Think about it. Much of your future rides on one of your network contacts. Your network of personal relationships, filed in databases like Outlook or Yahoo’s Address Book, is the number one source of opportunities and solutions for you.

Yet you don’t invest much time in it at all. You probably spend five to ten times more personal effort making sure your Inbox is empty — yet that yields very little value. Time invested in entering personal contacts, spending time with them and keeping the relationship fresh is much more valuable time spent.

Recommended: Do the random refresh exercise every Thursday for the next four weeks. Here’s how the exercise works: You randomly pick three names from your rolodex or address book. Call them on the phone and devote fifteen minutes to playing catchup. Agree to do something with at least one of them, even if it is just a call or lunch in the future. The whole month’s effort should cost you less than four hours, yet potentially yield something great. Try it and report results later under comments.”

I’m definitely going to become a follower of his blog – and will review his book when it arrives.

Share this:

This is the first blog post at my new home of philobrien.com. Hello to former readers of the Personal Network blog – and welcome to new readers. I hope to cover a wider range of topics here. I am especially keen to comment on what is happening in the worlds of old, new and social […]

Apologies for this very British post! Hopefully, the international audience of the blog will find it relevant and interesting too. The BBC broadcast a thought provoking programme this week – “Posh & Posher” presented by Andrew Neil (former editor of the Sunday Times). Although the programme focussed on the British Education system – and the […]

Well I love chocolate – and I’m fascinated by Personal and Social Networks … so what could be better than a new up and coming venture called Social Chocolate? The venture seems to have gathered a team of really high-profile folk. The leader is Creative Director, Jane McGonigal – you might have seen her on […]

I had a really thought provoking Saturday… In the morning, my wife and I had been invited to our children’s school for a “Parents Alcohol and Drugs Information Talk” – and on Friday I’d read Mastin Kipp’s blog at the Huffington Post “‘The Social Network’: 13 Lessons Entrepreneurs Can Take Away” – and decided to […]

I seem to have spent all my free time in the last few weeks pouring through boxes of photos. These aren’t from my career as a professional photographer – they are my personal “snaps” and crates full of family photographs stored by my father up until he passed away a few years ago. We are […]

As you can see from my projects and blog, I have a broad range of interests. I am always happy to meet new people and see if we can make a connection.

You can also fill in the form below and send me a message. It's good to talk.

Entrepreneurs

Would you like to connect with someone who has survived (and flourished through) similar experiences? Would you like to find someone who relates to your issues and is in touch with the changing landscape of future work and social media?

SME Proprietors

Are you considering your next steps? Are you planning an exit or trying to find finance for growth - and would like to get the experience of someone who has been through these stages?

Professionals

Are you trying to find the right person to support your clients in an advisory or Non-Executive Director role?

Like Minded Thinkers

Do you share similar passions - and have a strong desire to make a difference. Have you read something here that makes a connection?